Research Guides: Homelessness in America: Research Homelessness (2024)

Background Reading

It's important to begin your research learning something about your subject; in fact, you won't be able to create a focused, manageable thesis unless you already know something about your topic.

This step is important so that you will:

• Begin building your core knowledge about your topic
• Be able to put your topic in context
• Create research questions that drive your search for information
• Create a list of search terms that will help you find relevant information
• Know if the information you’re finding is relevant and useful

Useful Keywords

Use the words below to search for useful information in booksincluding eBooksand articlesat the MJC Library.

• homelessness
• homeless persons
• poverty
• homeless women
• homeless youth
• homeless families
• homeless children

Recommended Databases for Background Reading

All of these resources arefree forMJC students, faculty, & staff.

If you're working from off campus, you'll need to log in just like you do for your MJC email or Canvas courses.

• CQ Researcher Online This link opens in a new window

  This is the resource for finding original, comprehensive reporting and analysis to get background information on issues in the news. It provides overviews of topics related to health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy in America.

• This link opens in a new window

  This is a great database to use when you want to explore different viewpoints on controversial or hot-button issues. It includes reports on more than 800 hot topics in business, politics, government, education, and popular culture. Use the search or browse topics by subject or A to Z.

• Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window

  Use this database for preliminary reading as you start your research. You'll learn about your topic by reading authoritative topic overviews on a wide variety of subjects.

• Social Welfare: Fighting Poverty and Homelessness

  With an emphasis on presenting scientific studies, surveys, and statistics, the purpose of this eBook is to present the latest facts on a controversial and often-studied current social issue

Homelessness is a complex issue caused by a variety of factors including economic factors, family relationships, mental illness, lack of affordable housing, drug abuse, and alcoholism. You could concentrate on one issue and do in-depth research on that or use several of the questions below to focus more generally on the topic of homelessness.

• Is homelessness a serious problem in America?
• Who are the homeless?
• What special challenges do the homeless face?
• What factors lead to homelessness?
• What are the economic consequences to society of homelessness?
• What laws exist to control homelessness?
• Does the government have a responsibility to fight homelessness?
• Are privatized solutions to homelessness feasible?
• Can homelessness ever be ended?
• What steps can be taken to fight homelessness?
• Based on what I have learned from my research what do I think about the issue of homelessness in America?

Use Google Scholar to search for academic information on the Web.

Browse Featured Web Sites

• Local Sources (MJC Research Guide)

  Includes links to current news articles, official government reports, and agencies in our area that serve the homeless and work to end homelessness.

• California’s Homelessness Crisis — and Possible Solutions — Explained

  Comprehensive data and up-to-date analysis from CalMatters, a non-profit and non-partisan news organization focused on California.

• Gimme Shelter podcast

  From CalMatters, this podcast dives into the many aspects of homelessness in California.

• Housing Not Handcuffs: Ending the Criminalization of Homelessness in U.S. Cities

  This report – the only national report of its kind - provides an overview of criminalization measures in effect across
  the country and looks at trends in the criminalization of homelessness, based on an analysis of the laws in 187 cities (including Modesto) that the Law Center has tracked since 2006.

• National Alliance to End Homelessness

  Begun in the 1980s, the Alliance works collaboratively with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to build stronger programs and policies that help communities fight homelessness. They provide data and research to policymakers and elected officials in order to inform policy debates and educate the public and opinion leaders nationwide

  See Also

  OVERCOMING HOMELESSNESS: YOUR PATH TO A BRIGHTER FINANCIAL FUTURE - Marine Credit Union

• United States Interagency Council on Homelessness

  The mission of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) is to coordinate the federal response to homelessness and to create a national partnership at every level of government and with the private sector to reduce and end homelessness in the nation while maximizing the effectiveness of the Federal Government in contributing to the end of homelessness

Why Use Books:

Use books to read broad overviews and detailed discussions of your topic. You can also use books to findprimary sources, which are often published together in collections.

Where Do I Find Books?

You'll use the library catalog to search for books, ebooks, articles, and more.

What if MJC Doesn't Have What I Need?

Ifyou need materials (books, articles, recordings, videos, etc.)that you cannot find in the library catalog, useourinterlibrary loan service.

All of these resources are free for MJC students, faculty, & staff.

If you're working from off campus, you'll need to sign in. Once you click on the name of a database, simply enter your student ID (without the W) and your six-digit birth date.

• Gale In Context: Global Issues This link opens in a new window

  Use this database when you want to explore your topic from a global perspective or to analyze and understand the most important issues of the modern world with a global awareness. You'll find news, global viewpoints, reference materials, country information, primary source documents, videos, statistics, and more.

• Gale Databases This link opens in a new window

  Search over 35 databases simultaneously that cover almost any topic you need to research at MJC. Gale databases include articles previously published in journals, magazines, newspapers, books, and other media outlets.

• EBSCOhost Databases This link opens in a new window

  Search 22 databases simultaneously that cover almost any topic you need to research at MJC. EBSCO databases include articles previously published in journals, magazines, newspapers, books, and other media outlets.

• Facts on File Databases This link opens in a new window

  Facts on File databases include: Issues & Controversies, Issues & Controversies in History, Today's Science, and World News Digest.

• Access World News This link opens in a new window

  Search the full-text of editions of record for local, regional, and national U.S. newspapers as well as full-text content of key international sources. This is your source for The Modesto Bee from January 1989 to the present. Also includes in-depth special reports and hot topics from around the country.
  To access The Modesto Bee, limit your search to that publication.

Your teacher should have told you what style you should use.

Click on a citation style below to learn how to cite your sources and format your paper using that style.

• MLA Style

• APA Style

• Chicago Style

• Other Styles